Team

Anglo-Lebanese violinist and director Julian Azkoul is in demand as an ensemble leader and soloist, appearing as guest director of Camerata Nordica in Sweden, guest leader of Camerata Venia in Switzerland and guest first violinist of the Jubilee and

Julian Azkoul, artistic director

Anglo-Lebanese violinist and director Julian Azkoul is in demand as an ensemble leader and soloist, appearing as guest director of Camerata Nordica in Sweden, guest leader of Façade and Riot Ensemble in the UK and of Camerata Venia and Nexus Orchestra in Switzerland. He has performed as a guest first violinist of the Jubilee and Piatti string quartets and has co-lead UK orchestras such as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, toured with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, appeared as a principal player with Britten Sinfonia and Manchester Collective, and also featured as a soloist with the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, Camerata Nordica and several chamber orchestras. He is the director of the United Strings of Europe and regularly performs at major international festivals and venues with them as well as with the London Symphony Orchestra, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, London Contemporary Orchestra and Les Siècles. In his role as director of the United Strings of Europe, he curates programmes and projects, and arranges music for the ensemble. A number of his arrangements and transcriptions feature the group's first three albums with BIS Records: 'In Motion' (BIS-2529), 'Renewal’ (BIS-2549) and 'Tchaikovsky' (BIS-2569), and his transcription of Gareth Farr’s Mondo Rondo has been published by Promethean Editions. Julian also has a keen interest in Middle Eastern music. He is grateful to have been loaned a fine violin by Joseph Rocca and is fortunate to play with a modern bow by Christopher Graves. (2023)

Born in Paris, French/American violinist Ariel Lang completed his Bachelors and Masters degree under Jack Liebeck at the Royal Academy of Music in London, graduating with distinction (DipRAM) in 2016. An avid orchestral musician, he has performed wit

Ariel Lang, artistic advisor

Born in Paris, French/American violinist Ariel Lang completed his Bachelors and Masters degree under Jack Liebeck at the Royal Academy of Music in London, graduating with distinction (DipRAM) in 2016. An avid orchestral musician, he has performed with such orchestras as the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the Northern Lights Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia and the London Sinfonietta. He is also principal second violin of the United Strings of Europe chamber orchestra, with whom he tours Europe and the Middle East. He has been concertmaster of the Royal Academy Symphony and Concert Orchestras on numerous occasions under the baton of Edward Gardner, Semyon Bychkov, Christian Thielemann as well as having led sections at the Royal Academy Sainsbury Soloists with Clio Gould.
A committed chamber musician, he has co-founded the prize-winning Omega trio, the Tagus Quartet, which received a Royal Academy Chamber Music Fellowship and has partnered with the Doric Quartet to play the Mendelssohn Octet and the Arcana Ensemble. Ariel plays on a violin by Peter Greiner.